Parrot Misinformation On The Internet


Blue and gold macaw

Facebook. I love it and I hate it. On the one hand, it is SO annoying watching people publicly humiliating themselves by posting drunken photos or making personal comments that they will live to regret…forever and ever.

On the other hand, for someone like me, it is a wonderful way to see into the world of other bird owners to get a sense of what is REALLY going on out there. This year we started doing an educational post of the week on our page. A good number of those posts are based on what I see in my Facebook feed.

I go through my feed nearly every day. It is very uplifting to see how much effort and love people are putting into their birds and everybody wants to share. But just as a warning, please be careful what you post.

Many reposted articles are found on the internet, which is overrun with information which is dated, or just plain wrong.  An article written in the 1990s might look and read the same as one written last week, but we have come a long way since the 90s.

A lot of good is undone with these reposted articles. They are read by countless others who then shared with their friends. This is the exact point when one person’s opinion becomes everyone’s “fact”. This makes it really important to find a trusted source for your information,  especially if you share a lot on Facebook.

That is easier said than done. What happens when an article written by a “bird expert” appears on a site called “About.com”? Wouldn’t it be a fair assumption that an article written for a site with the singular intention of providing information would be accurate? Shouldn’t the word of an “expert” be taken as gospel? No, and no.


Umbrella cockatoo

When I am going through my feed on Facebook, admittedly spying on the bird community, I rarely comment on the posts. However, I made an exception the other day after coming across a thread about circular cages.

It was great to see that nearly every comment recommended against the round cage, but it was shocking to discover that nearly every one of them said it was wrong for the wrong reason – stating that the cage’s roundness is emotionally distressing to parrots. Someone took a screen shot of this article, which is filled with misinformation that would have had me wiping tears of laughter out of my eyes if it weren’t so concerning that people were actually believing what this “bird expert” was saying.

I am going to copy the short post here so that I can put my comments into the body of the article in bold. But here is a link to it as well – just in case you think I am making this stuff up…

http://birds.about.com/od/birdcages/f/roundcages.htm ….

Question: Are Round Cages Really Bad for Birds?

Answer:

Round cages are not recommended for most bird species, for a variety of reasons.

The first reason that these cages can be bad news is because they can be detrimental to a parrot’s psychological health. Birds are very intelligent creatures, but many have driven themselves crazy climbing around and around cylindrical cages, and feeling like they’re never getting anywhere. (Birds that incessantly circle their cages do so because they are distressed. The distress is causing the circling, it is not the circling causing the distress. They would not continue that activity if it was upsetting to them. Circling the cage is an outlet for their discomfort.) Giving your bird an angular cage provides them with reference points to different locations in their territories — thus helping them feel confident, safe, and secure. (So… physically turning a corner every few feet would satisfy them and make them feel like they ARE getting somewhere? And since a bird’s “territory” is only a few feet wide and they have that spectacular eyesight, does she not think they can find their food bowl without first referencing the coordinates of a corner in the cage?)

 Another reason to avoid round cages is because they are often awkward living spaces for a bird to inhabit. They very way that they are shaped causes many bird’s feathers to be in constant contact with the cage bars, wearing them down and giving the bird a ragged appearance. (??? Basic geometry will tell you that a bird will come in contact with more cage bars by standing in a corner as opposed to the one point of contact made in a round cage.) 

Round cages can also be difficult to maintain. (Everyone knows that round is harder to clean than square, right?) Because most bird cages are now square or rectangular in shape, it can be hard to find certain accessories that will fit round cages — like cuttlebone and millet holders, seed cups, and cage liners. (Again with the geometry fail…but she does make a good point about the cage liner since most homes are not equipped with scissors.) For this reason, it may be easier on both you and your pet to opt for a square or rectangular cage. By doing so, you can provide your pet with a comfortable home, and provide yourself with a cage that is easy to keep clean and well stocked with fun accessories.” ….

This “expert” neglects to include the most important FACTUAL aspect to round cages – they are dangerous! If this were just a debate about dizziness or birds driving themselves crazy…or not, this would be a non-issue. This is a safety matter and the danger they pose has been understood by bird people for a very long time now.

When cages are round, the bars at the top meet in a central point. As the bars approach that point, the space between them narrows creating places where legs, toes and wings can get caught. It is not uncommon for bones and wings to be broken in this area of a round cage. Also, since round cages are uncommon, the ones you might find are meant for decorative purposes or are very old meaning that will likely have toxic coating and will not have any standards of safety observed.

There were a couple of people on the Facebook page where this thread comes from that got this right, but the majority were all too willing to accept the nonsense put forth in this article. And why shouldn’t they? This article appears on About.com – a site that implies it is a go-to source for your informational needs.

However, About.com is a business. If you go to any of their pages they are smothered with advertising. About.com takes advantage of people’s use of search engines (like Google) which will bring them to their page and expose them to the advertisements posted there. About.com has no conscience or sense of duty where you are concerned. Their obligation to you is fulfilled by supplying information, it doesn’t have to be correct – and it often isn’t. As to their “bird expert”, I can call myself a prima ballerina, but that doesn’t make it so.


Military macaw

Unfortunately, there were no admins on this Facebook page that stepped in to straighten this matter out. I am not in any way meaning to say anything bad about this page. It is a fun place for bird lovers to go to share photos and stories and they have good policies about how people should conduct themselves. I am not mentioning the page by name intentionally because this is not about calling them out.

There are many such places that have popped up in recent years. It is important to keep in mind, however, that these places are run and visited by bird lovers who can post what they want and are not held answerable for any misinformation they put on the page. Some may not even realize they are posting wrong information.

People will accept the words from sites like About.com as truth. I don’t blame the reposters of these articles, their intention is only to share with like-minded people, but I ask everyone to be sure of the sources you get your information from.

Businesses like About.com don’t care if your bird is safe or healthy. They are there to bring you to their advertisers, not to better your world.  Remember, when you repost something it goes out to countless others who might then be misinformed and go on to misinform others.

Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.

9 comments

niky

fact: birds like to lean against a wall, at least when resting. … round cages can’t lean against a wall. so in that sense, a round cage is less comfortable for birds than a square one. during playtime? it doesn’t really matter. my whole flock is out in the balcony and they’re all over the place. but for sleep? they all sleep against the wall — sometimes even against a corner. note, that’s also assuming the cage is large enough. spoiler: if the bird can’t freely flap their wings… it is WAY too small (I’m assuming the bird will get several hours out of the cage a day, else, birdie needs room enough to at least short flights)

niky
Aryana

Thank you so much for this!! I’m copying a reply that I sent to another Omlet cage owner who was getting rude comments. The story of round cages was started as a way to protest the tiny cylindrical cages used in the international bird trade, that a big bird could barely turn around in, and are inappropriate for all birds. But it’s lived on forever in the hearts of well meaning bird lovers who now want to cry “abuse” when they lay eyes on the Omlet, The Omlet cage is designed with birds happiness in mind. Of course it has to be customized with the right enrichment and perches and food cups for the individual birds in question. My close friend who has bred birds for years, prefers the prevue 528 cages bc they are as wide as a flight cage but half the height, as all the lower space of a flight cage is dead space anyway. These cages have over 5’ cubic feet, but the Omlet has over 6’ cubic feet. They may look small but they are quite deep. My budgies have plenty of cages and playstands all over the house, plus mobiles. These are not even their primary cage, but when given the choice they pick them every time. They love the round design and the depth, and when a jungle tapestry is drained in back and backlit with a lamp, it looks like a beautiful little jungle and they are in heaven. They choose to wind down there before bed and I let them sleep there when they want, because it’s their choice. Besides, the shape and top handle makes it easy to grab and run out the door and fit in the back seat if the car if an early morning or nighttime emergency arises. I bring them to the vet in these -and my avian vet and experienced bird owners there, love these cages. I and other ppl have found that when given a choice many budgies actually seek out and want to play and preen in these, over even a flight cage! Maybe the shape feels comforting and egg like. Now i personally wouldn’t keep them in these all day, but I don’t have to, they have other cages and the run of the house. I’m a stay at home bird mom and I pamper them all day. Since no one knows exactly the care and how long they are out of cage, it’s unfair for anyone to judge others who have this cage. And even if they do, they can be decent humans and make kind suggestions instead of being rude. There are so many people out there who are actually abusing and neglecting birds, that it makes me sad that people like me and other bird lovers are being targeted with mean comments. I unfortunately filmed a TikTok video where these Omlet cages were in the background, and was kind of jumped on by several ppl at once. Even though I don’t use them as primary cages, I won’t throw them away bc my birds love them and they fit in the backseat for road trips. I was shamed for even owning such a “small neglectful cage”, and I ended up having to go private because blocking them wasn’t working and they were coming back on other accounts to accuse me of causing drama when I tried to stand up for myself. I felt so bullied and could barely eat or sleep, my mental health was so affected by the barrage of comments. When I posted a video of a flight cage I set up, hoping it would appease everyone, they were all livid that I was “accusing” them of saying I neglected my birds. 🤷‍♀️ One of them had used the words neglectful several times, and “abuse” was mentioned. My birds are my heart and my life, and everyone I know is amazed at the care they get. They are actually my children. So I’m beyond grateful to you for trying to debunk this myth.

Aryana
Morgan

What are your thoughts on this in geo cage. It seems to address the safety issues and have a lot of area for the bird to fly. We are the second owners of our parakeet and he was never finger trained or very comfortable around people and being out of his cage. We are working with him, but I don’t think he will ever be very comfortable with people he will prefer his cage. https://www.omlet.us/shop/bird-cages-accessories/bird-cage-geo/

Morgan
Lori

Thank you for this! This is the best ‘counter opinion’ I’ve heard on the subject. I have looked into this as I prefer the esthetics of a well made round cage. I had heard allot of the myths being disputed, leaving really just the safety at issue. So I was pleased to find a round, stainless steel cage by Prevue that does not have paint, and it doesn’t have the bars coming together to a point on top, there’s a large plate on top where the bars meet. :)

Lori
Carole Lee

My birds are and have always been precious to me. Their health and well being I need to know ALL ABOUT!!!! I only go to the experts-I was a subscriber to BIRD TALK magazine. I bought books about parakeets and cockatiels. I’ve continued to search for 21 years for articles on Indian ringnecks for my baby KC, who is now 31. Since 1980, I’ve always gone to an avian vet and from 1985 it’s been the same one. It didn’t matter that after 15 years, he was able to set up his own practice in San Rafael from San Francisco(where I live). It’s exactly 20 miles from my door to his across the Golden Gate Bridge. When I had my car I drove and now friends help out. I’m fortunate to have a very good friend who lives in my apt bldg that when I go on vacation, KC doesn’t have to leave my apt. My friend spends time in the morning and a couple hours in the evening. KC just loves her MommyLaurie:))) Also when I’ve gone to the ER for something and they say I had to be admitted, it is so comforting to know I just have to phone her and all I have to say is “I’m being admitted to the hospital…”and she says don’t worry I’ll take care of our baby!!!! I don’t give her anything that hasn’t been approved by professionals or my vet. They are so fragile. I hope people can learn that. Thank you so much for your help!!!!!!

Carole Lee
Trish

Thank YOU for setting the record straight! I’m so tired of misinformation.

Trish
betty holt

Great post. Thanks!

betty holt
Rebecca

As a new owner of a rehomed Yellow-naped Amazon, I’ve been scouring the internet looking for tips and hints in order to bond well with our new girl, and avoid making as many mistakes as possible. This article is a good reminder that not everything on the Internet is fact – for instance, all I’ve seen lately on a social media group dedicated to Amazons are bite pictures and warnings about bipolar Amazon behavior, however I’m not seeing bite behavior FROM her; but now I’m struggling because I’m just expecting it to happen from all the posts!

Rebecca
Gwen Paul

Are you talking about 6 sided round cages hexagons. Are they dangerous?

Gwen Paul

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